


Lily Potter née Evans: a mother's love

by IvoryRaven



Series: Mother's Day 2020 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Mother's Day, Motherhood, POV Lily Evans Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24120379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvoryRaven/pseuds/IvoryRaven
Summary: Lily's perspective on that Halloween night.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: Mother's Day 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740286
Kudos: 7





	Lily Potter née Evans: a mother's love

**Author's Note:**

> This is for all the mothers out there: thank you. You often go unrecognized for the work you do and you do it anyway. Thank you for that

Lily Potter was prepared to die for her son.

Her Harry was her life, her love, her joy. Ever since he had been conceived, since she’d realized she was going to be a mother, she had been devoted to him, even more so, she thought, than James, although he dearly loved their son, or Sirius, as much as he loved to lavish gifts on his godson, or Remus, who so clearly adored the babe, eager to see him at every opportunity, or Peter, who always seemed afraid to hold Harry, like he thought he would drop him.

When Dumbledore had come to the Potter household and declared them in danger, saying there was a prophecy about either Harry or Alice and Frank’s Neville, Lily had been the one to insist she and James take their son into hiding. James had suggested a little cottage in a wizarding village, Godric’s Hollow, where it was rumoured Godric Gryffindor had lived, and where Dumbledore claimed to have spent his childhood. Frank and Alice also left Frank’s mother Augusta and a collection of other extended family to live in the same area, so their sons could get together occasionally.

The danger had only grown, lately, and now Lily had found herself alone, with only her husband James and son Harry for company.

The isolation was soul-numbing, but Lily powered through it for the sake of her beloved son. Any sacrifice was worth making for him. She had borne him from her very womb, carried him within her for nine long months, nourished him out of her own body.

Lily loved James, yes, with the tender affections of a girl won over by a handsome heartthrob devoted to her. But the love ever-rising in her body, fierce like a tigress and hot like fire, was quite a different kind of love, and was all for her beloved son.

On Halloween night, when Lily put her dear son to bed, she took the utmost care to set out the ritual she had been enacting every night for the past week since she’d found out about it. Runes etched on the base of Harry’s crib glowed as she poured a drop of her own blood, mixing it with water and infusing it with her raw magic, and poured it over the carvings. 

If You-Know-Who should come tonight, he would find himself ensared in a trap of Lily’s own making.

She heard the struggle before she saw him. James’ raised voice, the blasts of missed spells, and a shriek from her brave, brave James rapidly cut off.

And then there was silence.

She clutched Harry close, leaning over the crib with her hands on his, pudgy fingers wrapping around her own, his big green eyes blinking sleepily up at her. He trusted her.

His daddy was gone. He didn’t know that yet.

James had asked her… they had agreed…

If You-Know-Who were to come, Lily would protect Harry and James would try and head him off.

She had followed the plan. It was still sad.

Her heart broke for her husband.

The runes’ glow faded. They had taken, linking her with Harry. While she lived, anything done to him would be done to her. If she died, he would be untouchable.

It had to work. It had to. If this plan failed, Lily had nothing.

You-Know-Who came in, then, his face twisted, waxen, barely any hair on his head.

“Step aside, you foolish girl,” he said.

Lily did not. He warned her, but she would not leave her child to die at the wand of the enemy.

Lily’s last thought was of Harry.


End file.
